Residents Concerned Over Accuracy Of Assessments

SUFFOLK — Residents pleaded on behalf of the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, for the rebuilding of the King's Highway Bridge and for keeping the transportation system in Suffolk's hands during a public hearing on the proposed 2008-2009 budget Wednesday evening.

But hardly any spoke out against the city's real estate tax rate, a topic the council has drawn fire over in the past.

Residents instead focused on the accuracy of the city assessments, which have been under scrutiny for the last few months after some spiked up to 200 percent in a year of falling real estate values.

"It appears that the city has a major problem with the assessor's office," said resident Stewart Tyler.

The proposed budget cuts the real estate tax rate from 94 cents per $100 of assessed value to 92 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Because assessments rose an average of 4.4 percent this year, the real estate tax rate would have had to be cut by 4 cents to bring taxes down to the same level as last year.

But City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn proposed to dedicate 2 cents per $100 of assessed value to a fund that would pay for transportation-related construction. Some council members have said they don't support the idea because they want those 2 cents to be returned to residents.

In previous years, the council has faced public hearings in which residents called en masse for lower rates.

But more comments Wednesday focused on encouraging the city's support for the Center for Cultural Arts, the renovated Suffolk High School building that now houses the city's art center.

Others said they were concerned about the proposal to transfer control of the city's bus system to the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority.